The present invention concerns a friction grommet for securing and retaining the end portion of a rope, comprising a bottom piece and locking lid piece. More precisely, the invention pertains to a friction grommet of this kind wherein the bottom piece is provided with an upright and at the same time with a pin projecting in the same direction from the bottom piece. In use, the end portion of a rope is arranged in the form of a loop around the upright, then in the opposite direction around the pin then again back around the upright to the above mentioned loop and finally out of the grommet.
With a grommet of this kind it is possible to achieve a lock for the ends of a rope in a simple manner. Therefore, there is no need to perform the cumbersome task of splicing the rope by hand. Instead, in one simple move, the end of the rope only have to be placed into the grommet. The latter can be provided with an eyelet or similar device by means of which the grommet can be fastened to a shackle or by other suitable means. When the rope is put under stress, the end part, which had been placed inside the grommet is firmly held by the force of its friction.
Prior-art versions of friction grommets are known but are, however, unsatisfactory. In accordance with one known arrangement, the locking lid piece is secured to the bottom piece by means of screws, whereby a closed chamber is formed enclosing the end portion of the rope. This means that, although the rope may be rapidly put in position inside the grommet, considerable time and special tools are still needed to lock the two parts together. A lid designed in such a manner that it need only be pressed onto the bottom piece is also not satisfactory, since in such a case there would always be a risk of inadvertently tearing off the lock-part whenever the pull on the rope is biased, resulting in loss of the frictional connection of the rope inside the grommet.
The purpose and novelty of the present invention is the creation of a friction grommet which can be closed in a simple manner and without the help of any kind of tools and which at the same time presents an absolutely reliable arrangement for safely and permanently securing the ends of a rope. According to the invention, this purpose is achieved in a manner which is described hereinafter.